Bad Boys : Ride or Die Review

Just Okay Boys

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return to Miami in one of the most enormous mixed bags of 2024 with Bad Boys: Ride or Die. On the one hand, you have some visceral, kinetic, and cutting-edge action that's genuinely a blast and fun cinematic experience! On the other hand, you have a story and script that can only be described as delicious garbage. The plot is nonsensical, and the comedy is hit or miss, which is disappointing because we know the chemistry the two leads have is one of the significant pillars upon which this franchise was built. If you want a fun summer action flick to shut your brain off, this is the one for you.

Our titular leads are back and are out to clear the name of their deceased Captain (Joe Pantoliano), who they believe is being framed for working with the cartels over the years. Through the course of the journey, which includes a dumb QR code clue, reuniting Will Smith with his cartel son to give them both a redemption arc, I suppose, a satisfying celebrity death sequence, and an albino crocodile, we get what's strung together a rather clunky story filled with way too many characters who are all very one dimensional. I can't understand the need to toss so many worthless characters together when the meat and potatoes of this franchise have always been Mike (Will Smith) and Marcus (Martin Lawrence).

I don't fucking care about the police captain's relationship with the most apparent villainous politician. I do not get the need to overcomplicate the main villain, played by Eric Dane, who's tortured by the cartel but also works for them. Why does he care so much about framing the Captain with the cartel when it seemed like everything was just fine with the Captain already dead? Could you make me care movie? Do I need the two hot young cops working under Mike and Marcus to have a secret relationship, and we get to see them half-naked later in the film? Yes, that was a good bit and worked for me, so you got me there, Ride or Die.

The problem with Ride or Die is that it's way too busy. In between the fantastic action, there are five different plots happening simultaneously. We have Marcus, who had a near-death experience where he had visions telling him he's invincible now and it's not his time to die; we have Mike, who's suffering from panic attacks (of course, we have another fucking movie with someone having a realistic panic attack on-screen); we have the daughter of the late Captain who wants revenge on Will Smith's son who killed him, we have Will Smith trying to be a father to his cartel son and build him and son's redemption arc up, we have...TOO MUCH. The film lacks any story focus, and in between the fighting sequences, I was fighting for my life to pay attention.

Let's get to what you care about: the action and comedy of Bad Boys: Ride or Die—the action rips. We have insane drones flying through action set pieces while people are grappling, shooting, and stabbing each other seamlessly, and that's astonishing to witness. Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were pushing the very limits of action in this one. They loved all the experimental rotating gun camera work that put us directly in the POV of our stars like we were playing a First Person Shooter. There is a ton of Call of Duty influence put to the screen, which was a treat to behold, and if there isn't a writing focus to this film, it's clear that action came first. The fight sequences felt weighty and had a great flow. I never thought I didn't know where I was in a scene, and insane cuts didn't bog it down. For pure action filmmaking, it's at least an 8-9/10. I can't say the same about the comedy.

This hurt. I loved the original Bad Boys films, and Mike and Marcus's charisma and hilarious banter are electric in a bottle. Something feels off. They needed more time together, or, as I said before, the film's focus could be more consistent, so maybe they were given lousy direction, or the script needed to be more salvageable. Some of the bits worked, and I gave a good chuckle, but for the most part, my theater and I were relatively silent during some of the back-and-forth between our leads. Martin Lawrence's Zen Awakening from a Near-death Experience was excellent, and I wished they had focused more on that ridiculousness and maybe less on Will Smith's cliché panic attacks.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die may have issues, but it scratched that action comedy itch the summer blockbusters are accustomed to having each year. A messy plot and poor script hold this back from being one of the more memorable summer blockbusters, but I think the action and sometimes decent jokes here, and there save it from being a total drag at the theater, which is evident as it sweeps at the box office, which rocks!! Finally, Martin Lawrence slaps the shit out of Will Smith a ton in one scene, and I imagine Chris Rock watching this going, GOD I WISH THAT WAS ME.

Final Score: 6.5/10